Liverpool injury latest after Brighton as Arne Slot boost confirmed amid Federico Chiesa concern

Liverpool showcased its strength in depth with a win over Brighton after Arne Slot made eight changes to the side. Admittedly, his opposite number had also made wholesale alterations, as both look to fend off more injuries amid a congested schedule — here's how things stand at the moment.

A boost for Slot was confirmed when Conor Bradley was passed fit not only to play a role against Brighton, but to start the contest and eventually play the full 90 minutes. His involvement had initially been in doubt, but he returned from a short spell on the sidelines to deputize admirably for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Not least given the uncertainty over Alexander-Arnold's long-term future, it's in Slot's best interests to give Bradley exposure to the first team wherever possible, and it was a good outing from the man who recently captained Northen Ireland for the first time. In the absence of a recognized striker in the setup, it was sometimes the number 84 who found himself bursting through the middle.

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Bradley and everyone else made it through the contest unscathed, meaning no further injury worries ahead of the league meeting between the two sides on Saturday. That will be a particular relief to Slot after he elected to give a runout to Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez off the bench.

However, Bradley was the only one to return to the side, meaning Liverpool's injury list still stands at four. And there are some significant names on that list, with Alisson Becker, Harvey Elliott and Diogo Jota all missing.

Liverpool flexed its depth between the sticks against Brighton, handing a start to third-choice goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros and resting Caoimhin Kelleher. And the Czech did not disappoint, making a remarkable save to keep out a header from Simon Adingra.

Nonetheless, Alisson is always bound to be a miss, and he's not expected back until after the next international break. There's a similar timeframe on Jota and Elliott, although the latter was initially expected to return sooner.

That just leaves Federico Chiesa. Slot could only say he was "not expecting" the Italian in the matchday squad ahead of the League Cup match, having given definitive answers on the other three, but his fears proved correct.

Chiesa has struggled to get up to speed since joining Liverpool. His injury record is well-known, and Slot has admitted that he has struggled to get up to the intensity of the Premier League after a disrupted pre-season.

The hope is that these are just teething pains, and Chiesa can return soon to make a meaningful contribution to the campaign. But almost 25 per cent of the way in, the situation is starting to become a little more worrying, with the wisdom of the "opportunistic" transfer yet to become clear.

Liverpool.com says: It's certainly a shame that Chiesa could play no part against Brighton. We saw in the last round that the League Cup can be a valuable place for him to pick up minutes and improve his sharpness, but his lack of involvement here suggests his match fitness must be well off where it needs to be at this moment in time.

While there's no denying the nagging worry, it is still early days, and Liverpool went into the signing with its eyes open. It must have been braced for a period of adaptation and slow introduction.

Elsewhere, the injury picture isn't looking too bad. Provided there are no further problems, Slot could have a full complement again after the next international break, which would be a major boost at a crucial time.